Alliant Energy has completed its Beaver Dam project, a 50 MW solar array in Dodge County, Wis. spanning 350 acres, as well as its Crawfish River project in the Jefferson County town of Jefferson.
Beaver Dam consists of nearly 120,000 solar panels and can produce enough energy to power approximately 13,000 homes annually, says the company, while the 75 MW solar array at Crawfish River consists of more than 200,000 solar panels and can produce enough energy to power approximately 20,000 homes annually.
“I started farming early on in my life,” says John Butterbrodt, one of the participating landowners. “When I was the president of the largest dairy co-op in the country, my friends and family all called me ‘The Dairy Farmer.’ Now when we get together, they call me ‘The Solar Farmer’ and I’m proud of that. In recent years, the corn grown on this land went to the ethanol plant. Now with solar panels, the electricity will help power homes and electric cars. It’s a new way of getting energy for the future of our country. This project is a great economic benefit to the community. It’s good for the taxpayers and it’s good for the future generation of our family.”
Construction on Beaver Dam began in September 2022 and employed over 120 carpenters, electricians, operating engineers and laborers. Construction on Crawfish River began in spring 2022 and employed over 400 workers at its peak.
